How Many People Have Walked on the Moon? - Universe Today Universe Today How Many People Have Walked on the Moon? Article Updated: 21 Dec , 2015 by Nancy Atkinson Ask someone if they know the names of the astronauts who have walked on the Moon, and most people would be able to list Neil Armstrong, and maybe even Buzz Aldrin. But can you name the rest of the Apollo astronauts who made it down to the lunar surface? How many people have walked on the Moon? In total twelve people have walked on the Moon. Besides Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – who were the first two astronauts to leave their bootprints on the Moon — there were also Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt. Interestingly, out of the dozen people who walked on the Moon, no one ever did it more than once. Here’s some additional information about the men who walked on the Moon and their missions: Apollo 11 – 2 people The iconic photo of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon for Apollo 11.

Credit: NASA On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first person to set foot on the Moon. He was soon followed by Buzz Aldrin. In a nail-biting landing, Armstrong had to manually fly the Lunar Module past the intended landing spot, which he could see was filled with boulders. He landed safely in Tranquility Base with Aldrin keeping an eye on the altitude and velocity, along with a dangerously low fuel tank. In total, Neil and Buzz were on the lunar surface (both inside their Eagle lunar module and walking on the Moon) for only 21 hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds and were outside walking in the Sea of Tranquility for just 2 hours, 31 minutes and 40 seconds. During their EVA, they collected rocks, planted the US flag, and deployed a seismograph and an experiment called the Lunar Ranging Retroreflector – a reflective device that measures the distance between the Earth and the Moon using lasers from Earth — which is still in use today. Apollo 12 – 2 people A bootprint in the lunar regolith, taken during Apollo 11 in 1969.

Credit: NASA. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were the Moon walkers on the Apollo 12 mission. The Apollo 12 crew experienced two lightning strikes just after their Saturn V rocket launched on November 14, 1969. The jolts knocked out the guidance system and power for a time, but thanks to quick thinking by Mission Control and Alan Bean, the systems were recovered. The Apollo 12 crew proved they could make a pin-point landing, touching down just 185 meters (600 feet) from the Surveyor 3 unmanned spacecraft. During one of their EVAs, Conrad and Bean walked to the Surveyor 3 spacecraft and removed pieces of it bring back to Earth for analysis. Conrad and Bean were on the Moon for two days, November 19 and 20, 1969. Apollo 13 – 0 People The next mission to launch to the Moon was Apollo 13, but because an oxygen tank on the spacecraft’s Service Module exploded two days after launch, the crew was not able to land on the Moon – and a harrowing and spectacular recovery ensued. You can find out more about the Apollo 13 mission here.

Apollo 14 – 2 people The launch of Apollo 14. Credit: NASA. The next two people to set foot on the Moon were Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell who were part of the Apollo 14 mission. They launched on January 31, 1971, and landed on February 5 in the Fra Mauro region of the Moon, the original destination for Apollo 13. Shepard and Mitchell performed two EVAs, deploying seismic experiments to study potential Moon quakes, and used the Modular Equipment Transporter (MET), a pull cart for carrying equipment and samples. During the second moonwalk, they tried to reach the edge of a crater named Cone Crater, but with no obvious landmarks amid the rolling, repetitive terrain, they weren’t able to find it. Later analysis combining images the astronauts took with orbital images, it was determined the duo had come within just 20 meters (65 feet) of the crater’s rim. While on the Moon, Shepard fashioned a golf club and hit a couple of golf balls. Mitchell joined in by throwing a lunar scoop handle javelin-style.

Apollo 15 – 2 people David Scott and James Irwin landed on the Moon on July 31, 1971 for the Apollo 15 mission, staying for three days, until August 2nd. Unlike the previous missions which landed on the flat lunar plains, the Apollo 15 landed between two mountains in an area called Hadley Rille. The two astronauts spent 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and this time the Apollo crew brought along the first lunar rover, which allowed them to travel much farther from the Lunar Module than previous missions. During three moonwalks, Scott and Irwin deployed several science experiments and collected 77 kg (170 lb) of lunar rock samples. Apollo 16 – 2 people John Young – caught mid-leap – salutes the American flag on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA. John Young and Charles Duke were the next men to walk on the Moon with the Apollo 16 mission. When the crew reached lunar orbit, the mission almost had to be aborted because of a problem with Command/Service Module’s main engine.

They landed though, and it was the first mission to land in the lunar highlands. They were on the lunar surface for three days, from April 21 to 23, 1972. John Young and Charles Duke spent 71 hours — just under three days — on the lunar surface, during which they conducted three moonwalks, totaling 20 hours and 14 minutes. The pair drove the lunar rover a total of 26.7 kilometres (16.6 miles). Apollo 17 – 2 people Eugene Cernan on the lunar surface, December 13, 1972. Credit: NASA. The final people to walk on the Moon were Eugene (Gene) Cernan and Harrison (Jack) Schmitt. They launched of the first night-time liftoff of the Saturn V rocket, and the astronauts of Apollo 17 landed on the Moon on December 11, 1972. Their three-day stay on the Moon lunar surface included three moonwalks,where they collected lunar samples and deployed scientific instruments. The Apollo 17 crew returned to Earth on December 19 after a 12-day mission.

Before he left the Moon, Cernan scratched the initials of his daughter Tracy into the lunar regolith. Since the Moon does not experience weather conditions like wind or rain to erode anything away, her initials should stay there for a very long time. And since 1972, no person has been either on the Moon or in lunar orbit. How Many People Have Walked on the Moon?: 12 And even though no one has landed on the Moon more than once, three different astronauts have actually traveled to the Moon more than once. Jim Lovell orbited the Moon on Apollo 8 and flew around the Moon on the aborted Apollo 13 mission. John Young and Gene Cernan were both on Apollo 10 which orbited the Moon, and then later Young walked on the moon on Apollo 16, and Cernan walked on the Moon during Apollo 17. Apollo mission. Earth's Moon NASA's Moonwalking Apollo Astronauts: Then and Now January 16, 2017 04:25pm ET MORE Astronaut Neil A.

Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, inside the Lunar Module as it rests on the lunar surface after completion of his historic moonwalk in July 1969. Credit: NASA Only a handful of men have stood on the moon and looked up at Earth. NASA landed six missions and 12 astronauts on the moon during the Apollo program. Six others remained in lunar orbit aboard their Apollo spacecraft command modules. One mission, Apollo 13, was aborted in mid-flight. Here is a snapshot of NASA's six successful moon-landing crews and where they are now: Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong : Commander, Apollo 11 , the first manned moon landing flight, which landed on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. Armstrong was a Navy aviator and later a test pilot for NASA's precursor agency, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, where he tested the X-15 rocket plane, among other experimental aircraft. He joined NASA in 1962 and commanded the Gemini 8 mission in 1966 to perform the first space docking in orbit.

Armstrong left NASA in 1971 to teach aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati and chair an electronic systems company. Armstrong died Aug. 25, 2012 , of complications related to recent surgery at age 82. [ Photos: Neil Armstrong — American Icon Remembered ] Buzz Aldrin : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 11. A U.S Air Force pilot before joining NASA in 1963, Aldrin first launched into space on the Gemini 12 mission in 1966 to test spacewalking procedures, including new restraints attached to the outside of the space capsule, and new training techniques. After becoming the second man to walk on the moon, Aldrin resigned from NASA in July 1971. Post-NASA, he has written numerous books, given lectures around the world, and even participated in the reality television show "Dancing With the Stars." Aldrin is currently the president of Starcraft Enterprise, a company he founded to promote his vision for the future of space exploration. Michael Collins : Command module pilot, Apollo 11. Collins stayed on the Columbia command module while Armstrong and Aldrin took the Eagle lunar lander down to the moon's surface.

Apollo 11 was Collins' second spaceflight, after the Gemini 10 mission in 1966. On that flight, Collins served as pilot during a successful rendezvous and docking with a separately launched unmanned spacecraft called Agena. Before joining NASA in 1963, Collins was an experimental flight test officer in the U.S. Air Force, logging approximately 5,000 hours flying time. He retired as a brigadier general from the Air Force, and left NASA in 1970 to work for the U.S. State Department, and then to become the director of the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum. In 1980, Collins left the Smithsonian, joining the LTV Aerospace company, and then started his own consulting firm in 1985. He has written several books and paints watercolors. Apollo 11 astronauts, from left, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stand during a recognition ceremony at the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology tribute to the Apollo 11 astronauts at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in Washington.

The committee presented the three Apollo 11 astronauts with a framed copy of House Resolution 607 honoring their achievement, and announced passage of legislation awarding them and John Glenn the Congressional Gold Medal. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Apollo 12 Charles "Pete" Conrad : Commander, Apollo 12 . Conrad headed up the second lunar landing mission, Apollo 12, in November 1969. Conrad became the third person to walk on the moon, and spent more than a day exploring the lunar surface. Apollo 12 was Conrad's third spaceflight, following his turns on the Gemini 5 and Gemini 11 missions. A test pilot for the U.S. Navy, Conrad joined NASA in 1962, and retired in 1973 after commanding the Skylab 2 mission on the first American space station. After his military and NASA career, Conrad worked at the American Television and Communications Corporation (ATC) and the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He died in 1999, following a motorcycle accident in Ojai, Calif. Alan Bean : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 12.

Bean's first spaceflight was Apollo 12, during which he spent more than a day on the surface of the moon with Pete Conrad. A captain the U.S. Navy, Bean joined NASA in 1963, and followed up Apollo 12 as commander of the Skylab 3 mission in 1973. He retired from NASA in 1981 to concentrate on painting, saying he was inspired to communicate his space experiences through art. In 2009, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, many of Bean's works were displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Richard F. "Dick" Gordon : Command module pilot, Apollo 12. On Apollo 12, Gordon stayed inside the command module Yankee Clipper, photographing potential future lunar landing sites while Conrad and Bean walked on the moon. Gordon, a captain in the U.S. Navy, was selected as an astronaut in 1963, and served as pilot for the Gemini 11 mission in September 1966.

He retired from NASA and the Navy in 1972, and went on to work for the New Orleans Saints Professional Football Club; Energy Developers, Limited (EDL); Resolution Engineering and Development Company (REDCO); and Astro Sciences Corporation. [ NASA's 17 Apollo Moon Missions in Pictures ] Apollo 14 Alan Shepard : Commander, Apollo 14 . Prior to commanding Apollo 14 in 1971, Shepard became the first American to reach space when he rode in the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961, under NASA's Mercury program. Apollo 14 marked his second spaceflight, following a stint as chief of NASA's astronaut office, a job he resumed after his moon mission. During his walk on the moon, he famously hit two golf balls and watched them soar in the low lunar gravity. Shepard, a rear admiral of the U.S. Navy, left NASA and the Navy in 1974. After NASA, Shepard wrote a book about his space experiences, served on the boards of various corporations, and helped lead the Mercury Seven Foundation, which awarded college scholarships for science. He died in 1998 of leukemia.

[ Photos: Freedom 7, America's First Manned Spaceflight ] Edgar Mitchell : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 14. Mitchell's first flight to space on Apollo 14 sent him to the moon with Alan Shepard for a total of 216 hours and 42 minutes in space. The U.S. Navy captain retired from NASA and the Navy after that mission in 1972, going on to found the Institute of Noetic Sciences, dedicated to the study of consciousness. He has written books on mystical experiences and psychic exploration. Stuart Roosa : Command module pilot, Apollo 14. On his first and only trip to space, Roosa piloted the command module Kitty Hawk, making observations of the moon from orbit while Shepard and Mitchell walked on the lunar surface. Roosa joined NASA in 1966 from the U.S. Air Force, and worked on the space shuttle program after the Apollo flights ended. After his retirement from NASA in 1976, Roosa then worked for U.S. Industries, Inc., for a commercial real estate firm called Charles Kenneth Campbell Investments, and was president and owner of Gulf Coast Coors, Inc., a beer distributor.

Roosa died in 1994, due to complications of pancreatitis. Apollo 15 David Scott : Commander, Apollo 15 . During the fourth manned moon-landing mission, Apollo 15, Scott and Irwin became the first people to drive a lunar rover around the surface of the moon. When he commanded the mission in 1971, Scott was already a space veteran, having served aboard the Gemini 8 mission in 1966 with Neil Armstrong, and then the Apollo 9 mission in 1969. After joining NASA in 1963, Scott eventually logged a total of 546 hours and 54 minutes in space. Following his work as an astronaut, Scott served as director of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. He is a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force. [ Driving on the Moon: Photos of NASA's Lunar Cars ] James Irwin : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 15. Irwin's first and only flight to space was on Apollo 15, during which he walked around the moon's Hadley Rille and Apennine Mountains, collecting 171 lbs.

(77.5 kilograms) of moon rocks with Scott. Irwin, a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, joined NASA in 1966. He left the space agency after his Apollo 15 flight in 1972, to become a preacher, and formed a religious organization called High Flight Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. Irwin died in 1991 of a heart attack. Alfred Worden : Command module pilot, Apollo 15. As a test pilot, Worden was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1966. He piloted Apollo 15's command module Endeavour while Scott and Irwin walked on the moon's surface. Following his space flight, Worden worked as a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, and ultimately retired from NASA in 1975. He went on to work at Maris Worden Aerospace, Inc., and BG Goodrich Aerospace. Astronaut James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, works at the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity at the Hadley-Apennine landing site. Credit: NASA/David R.

Scott Apollo 16 John W. Young : Commander, Apollo 16 . Young led the fifth manned moon landing mission, Apollo 16, in April 1972, when he and Charlie Duke explored the lunar highlands at Descartes, collected 200 lbs. (90.7 kg) of moon rocks, and drove more than 16 miles (24.75 kilometers) in the lunar rover. Young joined NASA in 1962 as a pilot in the U.S. Navy, and flew on six separate space missions. He flew on the first manned Gemini mission, Gemini 3, in 1965, and then on the Gemini 10 mission in 1966. Young then served as command module pilot of Apollo 10, which orbited the moon in 1969, but did not land. Following the Apollo program, Young went on to fly on two space shuttle missions, STS-1 — the first ever space shuttle flight — in 1981 and STS-9 in 1983.

Overall, Young logged 835 hours in space, and worked at NASA until retiring in 2004. Charles Duke : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 16. A retired brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force, Charlie Duke joined NASA in 1966 and flew on one space mission, Apollo 16, before retiring from NASA in 1975. During the Apollo 16 mission, Duke and Young deployed a cosmic ray detector and an ultraviolet camera on the lunar surface. After NASA, Duke pursued business opportunities, founding the Duke Investments Charlie Duke Enterprises firms. He is also president of the Duke Ministry for Christ. Thomas "Ken" Mattingly : Command module pilot, Apollo 16. Mattingly joined NASA in 1966 and was due to make his first flight to space on the Apollo 13 mission, but was removed from the crew 72 hours before launch because he had been exposed to the German measles. Mattingly was reassigned to the Apollo 16 mission. Mattingly piloted the command module Casper, working on photographic and geochemical mapping of a belt around the lunar equator.

Following Apollo 16, Mattingly flew on two space shuttle flights, STS-4 and STS-51C, before retiring from NASA in 1985. Apollo 17 Eugene Cernan : Commander, Apollo 17 . Cernan had made two flights to space — on Gemini 9 in 1966 and on Apollo 10 in 1969 — before leading the sixth and last lunar landing mission, Apollo 17, in December 1972. This excursion to the moon marked the longest lunar landing flight, with Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spending more than three days on the moon's surface. Cernan was the last man to leave his footprints on the surface of the moon. A captain in the U.S. Navy, he retired from NASA and the military in 1975. He worked at Coral Petroleum, Inc., and then founded his own consulting company, the Cernan Corporation. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Johnson Engineering Corporation, which has helped NASA design trainers and equipment for space exploration. He died on January 16, 2017.

Harrison Schmitt : Lunar module pilot, Apollo 17. Schmitt, a trained geologist, was the only astronaut without military experience to walk on the moon, and helped train all Apollo moonwalking crews in geology. He was selected by NASA as a scientist-astronaut in 1965. Apollo 17 was Schmitt's only flight to space, but he continued to work at NASA after the Apollo program as chief of the scientist-astronauts and then as NASA assistant administrator for energy programs. In 1975, Schmitt resigned from NASA to run for election in the U.S. Senate in New Mexico, where he won as a Republican and served a six-year term. Ronald Evans : Command module pilot, Apollo 17. While Cernan and Schmitt walked on the lunar surface, Evans stayed in lunar orbit aboard the command module America. During the flight, he completed a spacewalk to retrieve three camera cassettes and make an inspection of the capsule's equipment bay area. He still holds the record of more time spent in lunar orbit than anyone else in the world. Evans became an astronaut in 1966.

In 1976, he retired as a captain in the U.S. Navy, but stayed on at NASA working on the space shuttle program in the operations and training group and within the astronaut office. He retired from NASA in 1977 to work as an executive in the coal industry. Evans died in 1990 of a heart attack. Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom . We're also on Facebook and Google+ . The Men Who Walked on the Moon The Men Who Walked on the Moon Melissa 4 comments Marcus L. asks: How many people walked on the moon? Who were they? Forty-five years ago this month, a human being first set foot on the moon. Despite four and a half decades and amazing leaps in technology, to date only 11 other people have done this – and every one flew in an Apollo mission for the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA).

Apollo 11 (July 20, 1969) Neil Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) About six hours after the lunar module (the Eagle) of Apollo 11 landed on the Moon at the Sea of Tranquility, Armstrong spoke what is arguably one of the most famous quotes in the history of civilization, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” ( Or something like that ) Armstrong lived a quiet life after he retired from NASA, teaching aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati, investigating spaceflight accidents and acting as a spokesman for various businesses. Armstrong died in 2012, and a tribute was held for him at Washington National Cathedral. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (b. January 20, 1930) Together with Armstrong, Aldrin also walked on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, although their entire moonwalk lasted only 2.5 hours. The mission left behind a plaque that included the message, “We came in peace for all mankind,” among other things .

Before he stepped out of the Eagle that day, Aldrin, an elder of the Webster Presbyterian church, requested a moment of silence from everyone listening to the broadcast, then preceded to silently conduct a communion ceremony where he ingested bread and wine. While Armstrong got to be the first to set foot on the moon, Aldrin was the first to urinate while on the surface of the moon. Apollo 12 (November 19, 1969) Charles P. “Pete” Conrad (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) Conrad left Apollo 12’s Intrepid lunar module and spent 3 hours and 39 minutes on his EVA (extravehicular activity). During his excursion, Conrad erected a solar wind experiment, deployed an S-band antenna and collected samples. After Conrad retired from the Navy in 1973, he worked for private businesses including McDonnell Douglas from 1976 through the 1990s. Conrad died in 1999 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery . Alan Bean (b.

March 15, 1932) During the Apollo 12 mission, Bean spent 2 hours and 58 minutes walking on the moon’s surface. Bean was supposed to set up a television camera, but after he inadvertently exposed it to the sun, it wouldn’t work, but he was able to successfully gather a 16-inch core sample. After retiring from the astronaut program, Bean continued with NASA as the civilian head of its Astronaut Candidate Operations and Training Group through 1981. Apollo 14 (February 5-6, 1971) The astronauts aboard Apollo 14’s lunar module, Antares made two moonwalks. Alan Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) Although Antares made the most precise landing of all the lunar modules up to that time, due to problems with communications, its first scheduled moonwalk, on February 5th, began nearly one hour late. Nonetheless, Shepard spent 4 hours and 49 minutes on the moon that first day.

Combined with his time on the satellite’s surface during his second moonwalk, Shepard set a “ distance traveled record” on the moon’s surface of about 9,000 feet. After Shepard retired from NASA in 1974, he served as a board member for many corporations and ran his own, the Seven Fourteen Enterprises, Inc. Shepard died in 1998 and his cremated remains were scattered over Stillwater Cove, near his home in Pebble Beach, California. Edgar Mitchell (b. September 17, 1930) Edgar Mitchell left the lunar module for the first time early in the morning on February 6th. Together with Shepard, on that second Apollo 14 walk, they spent 4 hours and 35 minutes on the surface of the moon. The two collected 94 pounds of moon rocks and soil during the mission. Since leaving NASA in 1972, Mitchell followed his interests in consciousness and paranormal experiences, including founding the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). He has been an outspoken proponent of the theory that UFOs and alien beings have visited the Earth, but that various governments are suppressing the truth.

Apollo 15 (July 31-Aug 2, 1971) The first mission to use a lunar rover, Apollo 15 had astronauts on the moon’s surface for three days. David R. Scott (b. June 6, 1932) During their three separate periods of EVAs, together with Irwin, Scott spent 18 hours and 37 minutes out and about on the lunar surface, including 17.5 miles spent hot rodding in the lunar rover. After Scott left the astronaut core, he became the center director of NASA’s Flight Research Center from 1975 through 1977. He later worked as a consultant for the movie Apollo 13 and the HBO mini-series, From the Earth to the Moon. James Irwin (March 17, 1930 – August 8, 1991) Together with Scott, during their 18-plus hours outside of the lunar module on the moon, Irwin helped collect more than 170 pounds of samples, including a core sample from 10 feet below the surface.

Irwin left NASA in 1972 and devoted himself to his faith, Christianity, through an organization he founded, the High Flight Foundation. He led several unsuccessful expeditions to Mount Ararat in Turkey to search for archaeological evidence of Noah’s Ark. Irwin died in 1991 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Apollo 16 (April 20-23, 1972) Charles Duke (b. October 3, 1935) Together Duke and Young spent just over 71 hours on the lunar surface, and their three EVAs lasted 20 hours, 14 minutes. During the first trip, which lasted 7 hours, 11 minutes, the astronauts explored both Flag Crater and Spook Crater and collected samples. Apollo 16’s third EVA was cut short, but included a tour of North Ray Crater, House Rock and Shadow Rock. Duke retired from NASA in 1975 and has become a committed Christian who is active in prison ministry. John Young (b. September 24, 1930) On his first EVA, Young with Duke traveled for 2.5 miles in their lunar rover.

During their second EVA, which lasted 7 hours and 23 minutes, they drove the lunar rover to Stone Mountain and near Cinco Craters, for a total of 6.9 miles, collecting samples. John flew two Space Shuttle flights after the Apollo 16 mission and did not retire from NASA until 2004. Apollo 17 (December 12-13, 1972) Eugene Cernan (b. March 14, 1934) The three EVAs of Apollo 17 comprised a total of 22 hours and 4 minutes. Cernan was the first to leave the lunar module on the 12th, and this first EVA lasted for 7 hours, 12 minutes. The second EVA was just a bit longer than the first at 7 hours, 37 minutes, and the last was just about 7 hours, 15 minutes. Cernan retired from the Navy and NASA in 1976 and became involved in private enterprises. He has also been a contributor for ABC News. He was the last person to walk on the moon. Harrison H. Schmitt (b.

July 3, 1935) Schmitt was the only geologist among the Apollo astronauts and one of the samples he collected, the Troctolite 76535, has been described as “ without doubt the most interesting sample returned from the moon, ” in no small part because it suggests the moon once had a magnetic field. After he left NASA in 1975, Schmitt served one term as a U.S. Senator from New Mexico and has since worked in business and geology. Schmitt was the second-to-last person to walk on the surface of the moon. How many men have walked on the moon? | Reference.com How many men have walked on the moon? A: Quick Answer Twelve American astronauts have walked on the moon since 1969. The Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 was the first time man landed on the moon. Although Neil Armstrong was the first man during this mission to step on the moon,Â Edwin Buzz Aldrin also walked on the moon along with Armstrong during the 21 hours and 36 minutes that they were on the moon. Full Answer There were more Apollo missions in which other astronauts walked on the moon.

For example, on the Apollo 12 mission that took place in November 1969, there were two astronauts named Alan Bean and Pete Conrad who walked on the moon. The astronauts from the Apollo 13 mission were unable to land on the moon due to technical difficulties. During the NASA missions Apollo 14 through Apollo 17, eight other astronauts walked on the moon. Their names are Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. The 12 Men Who Walked on the Moon | Mental Floss The 12 Men Who Walked on the Moon NASA / Harrison H. Schmitt Like us on Facebook If you were born after the Apollo program, and maybe even if you remember those days, it seems almost unbelievable that NASA sent manned missions to the moon 239,000 miles away. People continue to express sadness at the fact that the Apollo lunar missions were so long ago, and that soon there will be no one left alive who actually went to the moon.

Randall Munroe of xkcd addressed that concept some time ago, although we are ahead of that game in that no lunar astronaut has died since Neil Armstrong passed away in 2012. It's time we remembered -or got to know- the only twelve people who ever walked on a body other than planet Earth. 1. Neil Alden Armstrong Navy test pilot, engineer, and Korean War veteran Neil Armstrong left the Navy in 1952, but continued in the Naval Reserve. He worked as an experimental test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) beginning in 1955, which evolved into NASA. Armstrong was assigned as an astronaut in 1962, and flew on the Gemini 8 mission in 1966, where he performed the first successful space docking procedure. Armstrong was selected to be the first man to walk on the moon, as the Apollo 11 mission was planned, for several reasons : he was the commander of the mission, he didn't have a big ego, and the door of the lunar lander was on his side.

Although the first steps on the moon are what he will always be known for, Armstrong considered the mission's biggest accomplishment was landing the lunar module . He later said , Pilots take no special joy in walking: pilots like flying. Pilots generally take pride in a good landing, not in getting out of the vehicle. Armstrong along with his crew were honored with parades, awards, and acclaim after their return to Earth, but Armstrong always gave credit to the entire NASA team for the Apollo moon missions. He resigned from NASA in 1971 and became a professor of of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati for eight years. Armstrong served on the boards of many corporations and foundations, but gradually withdrew from publicity tours and autograph signings. He didn't particularly care for fame. Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012, at age 82. His family released a statement that concluded: “For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.” 2.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin After graduating third in his class at West Point in 1951 with a degree in science, Buzz Aldrin flew 66 combat missions as an Air Force pilot in the Korean War. Then he earned a PhD at MIT. Aldrin joined NASA as an astronaut in 1963. In 1966 he flew in the Gemini 12 spacecraft on the final Gemini mission. Aldrin accompanied Neil Armstrong on the first moon landing in the Apollo 11 mission, becoming the second person, and now the first of the living astronauts, to set foot on the moon. Aldrin had taken a home Communion kit with him, and took Communion on the lunar surface , but did not broadcast the fact. Aldrin retired from NASA in 1971 and from the Air Force in 1972. He later suffered from clinical depression and wrote about the experience, but recovered with treatment. Aldrin has co-authored five books about his experiences and the space program, plus two novels. Aldrin continues to work to promote space exploration. Buzz Aldrin is 85 years old. 3.

Charles "Pete" Conrad Pete Conrad was a Princeton graduate and Navy test pilot before entering the astronaut corps in 1962. He flew on the Gemini V mission and was commander of Gemini XI. Conrad was commander of the Apollo 12 mission, launched during a lightning storm which temporarily knocked out the command module's power shortly after liftoff. When Conrad stepped onto the moon, he said, Whoopee! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but that's a long one for me. Conrad later flew on the Skylab 2 mission as commander with the first crew to board the space station. He retired from NASA and the Navy in 1973, after which he worked for American Television and Communications Company and then for McDonnell Douglas. Pete Conrad died on July 8, 1999 in a motorcycle accident. He was 69. 4. Alan L. Bean Apollo astronaut Alan Bean was the fourth man to walk on the moon, during the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. He was the lunar module pilot. Bean was also the commander of the Skylab Mission II in 1973, which spent 59 days in flight.

Altogether, Bean logged 1,671 hours and 45 minutes in space. Bean is the only artist to have visited another world, so his paintings of the lunar environment have the authenticity of an eyewitness. He retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain, but continued to train astronauts at NASA until 1981, when he retired to devote time to his art. See those paintings at Bean's online gallery , and stories that accompany each one. Alan Bean is now 83 years old. 5. Alan Shepard Alan Shepard was a bona-fide space pioneer who cemented his spot in history long before the Apollo program. A U.S. Navy test pilot, he was selected as one of the original Mercury astronauts in 1959. Shepard was the first American launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft on May 5, 1961. His suborbital flight reached an altitude of 116 miles. Barred from flight during the Gemini program because of an inner ear problem, Shepard had the problem fixed surgically and was assigned as commander of the Apollo 14 mission to the moon.

He was responsible for the most accurate lunar module landing ever, and spent 9 hours and 17 minutes exploring the moon's surface outside the module. During that time, he famously knocked a couple of golf balls with a six-iron attached to his sample-collecting tool. With one arm (due to the space suit), he managed to drive further than professional golfers on Earth could ever hope to, thanks to the moon's lower gravity. Before and after his Apollo mission, Shepard served as Chief of the Astronaut Office. He retired from NASA and the Navy in 1974, having achieved the rank of Rear Admiral. Shepard went into private business, serving on the board of several corporations and foundations. He founded Seven Fourteen Enterprises, an umbrella corporation named after his two space missions. Shepard wrote a book with Deke Slayton, Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon . Shepard compared his book to The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, saying , "'We wanted to call ours 'The Real Stuff,' since his was just fiction.'' Alan Shepard died on July 21, 1998 at the age of 74. 6. Edgar D.

Mitchell Ed Mitchell joined the Navy in 1952 and became a test pilot. Then he earned a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT. NASA selected him for the astronaut corps in 1966. In January of 1971, Mitchell flew on Apollo 14 as lunar module pilot, becoming the sixth man to walk on the lunar surface. He retired in 1972 and founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences , which explores psychic and paranormal events. Mitchell gained some notoriety after NASA for his views on UFOs , as he has asserted that the government is covering up evidence at Roswell. His information, he admits, comes secondhand from various sources. Ed Mitchell is 84 years old. 7. David Randolph Scott David Scott joined the Air Force after graduating from West Point. Selected as an astronaut in 1963, he flew with Neil Armstrong on the Gemini 8 mission and was command module pilot on Apollo 9. Scott then went to the moon on Apollo 15, which landed on the lunar surface on July 30, 1971. It was the first mission to land near mountains.

Scott and Jim Irwin spent 18 hours exploring the lunar landscape in the Lunar Roving Vehicle in the first mission to use such a vehicle to travel on the moon. Scott became famous for the "postage stamp incident," in which he took unauthorized postage stamp covers to the moon with the intent to sell them afterwards. NASA had turned a blind eye to such activities before, but publicity over the matter caused them to discipline Scott and he never flew again. Scott retired from NASA in 1977 and served as a consultant for several movies and TV shows about the space program. He also wrote a book with former cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race . David Scott is 82 years old. 8. James B. Irwin Air Force test pilot James Irwin became an astronaut in 1966. He was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 15 in 1971. His 18.5 hours of lunar surface exploration included gathering many samples of rocks. The astronauts' medical conditions were being monitored from Earth, and they noticed Irwin developing symptoms of heart trouble .

As he was breathing 100% oxygen and under lower gravity than on Earth, mission control decided he was in the best environment possible for such irregularity -under the circumstances. Irwin's heart rhythm was normal by the time Apollo 15 returned to Earth, but he had a heart attack a few months later. Irwin retired from NASA and the Air Force (with the rank of Colonel) in 1972 and founded the High Flight Foundation in order to spread the Christian gospel during the last twenty years of his life. He notably took several groups on expeditions to Mt. Ararat to search for Noah's Ark. James Irwin died on August 8, 1991, of a heart attack. He was 61 years old. 9. John Watts Young John Young is so far the longest serving astronaut in NASA history. He was selected as an astronaut in 1962 and his first space flight was in 1965 aboard Gemini 3 with Gus Grissom. He achieved some notoriety at that time by smuggling a corned beef sandwich onto the flight, angering NASA.

But Young went on to complete a total of six space missions in the Gemini, Apollo, and the space shuttle programs. He orbited the moon on the Apollo 10 mission, then was commander of the Apollo 16 mission and became the ninth person to walk on the moon. Young was also commander of the first space shuttle flight in 1981 and returned for shuttle flight 9 in 1983, which deployed the first Spacelab module. Young was also scheduled for another space shuttle flight in 1986, which was delayed after the Challenger disaster, so the veteran astronaut never made his seventh flight. Young finally retired from NASA after 42 years of service in 2004. John Young is 84 years old. 10. Charles M. Duke Jr. Astronaut Charles Duke was capcom during the Apollo 11 mission. His is the voice you recall saying , "Roger, Twank... Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot!" when the lunar module landed on the moon.

Duke also made history by catching German measles while training in the backup crew for the Apollo 13 mission , exposing the crew to the disease and causing Ken Mattingly to be replaced by Jack Swigart on that terrifying spaceflight. Duke went to the moon (with Mattingly as command module pilot) on the Apollo 16 mission in April of 1972. He retired from NASA in 1975 having reached the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force, and founded Duke Investments. Duke also became a Christian and a lay minister to prison inmates. Charles Duke is 79 years old. 11. Harrison "Jack" Schmitt Jack Schmitt was a geologist first, and trained as a pilot only after becoming a NASA astronaut. In fact, he was only the second civilian to fly into space, after Neil Armstrong, who was a veteran at the time of his flights.

Schmitt was assigned to fly to the moon on the Apollo 18 mission, but when the Apollo 18 and 19 missions were cancelled in September of 1970, the scientific community lobbied to have Schmitt reassigned to Apollo 17 (replacing Joe Engle) as lunar module pilot. He was the first scientist in outer space . On the Apollo 17 mission, he and Gene Cernan spent three days on the lunar surface (a record) and drove their Lunar Roving Vehicle around collecting samples, conducting experiments, and leaving measuring instruments behind. Schmitt and Cernan gathered 250 pounds of lunar material to take back. After resigning from NASA in 1975, Schmitt, a Republican, was elected Senator for New Mexico and served from 1977 to 1983. He became an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and lives in Silver City, New Mexico. In recent years, Dr. Schmitt's scientific background and political leanings have kept him in the spotlight as he has said that the concept of climate change is "a red herring," and that environmentalism is linked with communism .

Schmitt is 79 years old. 12. Eugene A. Cernan As a Navy pilot, Gene Cernan logged over 5,000 hours flying time. He was accepted into the astronaut program in 1963. Cernan's first space flight was on Gemini IX in 1966, in which he conducted extravehicular activities (a space walk), followed by the Apollo 10 mission in May of 1969, which orbited the moon. Cernan was assigned commander of the Apollo 17 mission before anyone knew it would be the last Apollo mission. Even after the Apollo program was cut, no one knew for sure that travel to the moon would be abandoned for decades. When Schmitt and Cernan boarded their lunar module for the last time on December 13th, 1972, Cernan said , "I'm on the surface; and, as I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come — but we believe not too long into the future — I'd like to just [say] what I believe history will record.

That America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return: with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17." Cernan retired from the Navy and from NASA in 1976. He went on to found an aerospace technology firm, and wrote a book about his experiences as an astronaut. He also contributed his talents to ABC-TV as a commentator during shuttle flights and has made appearances on various space specials. In September of 2011, Cernan testified before Congress on the future of the space program. The space program has never been an entitlement, it's an investment in the future - an investment in technology, jobs, international respect and geo-political leadership, and perhaps most importantly in the inspiration and education of our youth. Those best and brightest minds at NASA and throughout the multitudes of private contractors, large and small, did not join the team to design windmills or redesign gas pedals, but to live their dreams of once again taking us where no man has gone before. Gene Cernan is now 81 years old.

More from mental_floss... Moon walkers How many people have walked on the Moon? The Answer: Twelve astronauts have walked on the Moon, the last in 1972. Here are the names of those astronauts listed chronologically by the date of their walk. July 20, 1969: Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Nov. 19, 1969: Charles (Pete) Conrad and Alan Bean Feb. 5, 1971: Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell July 30, 1971: James Irwin and David Scott Apr. 21-23, 1972: Charles Duke and John Young Dec. 11-13, 1972: Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan —The Editors How Many People Have Walked on the Moon? - Technology Org Technology Org How Many People Have Walked on the Moon? Posted August 2, 2013 Ask someone if they know the names of the astronauts who have walked on the Moon, and most people would be able to list Neil Armstrong, and maybe even Buzz Aldrin.

But can you name the rest of the Apollo astronauts who made it down to the lunar surface? Astronaut Charles Duke collecting samples during Apollo 16. Credit: NASA. In total twelve people have walked on the Moon. Besides Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – who were the first two astronauts to leave their bootprints on the Moon — there was also Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, and Harrison Schmitt. Interestingly, none of those who walked on the Moon ever did it more than once. Here’s some additional information about the men who walked on the Moon and their missions: The iconic photo of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon for Apollo 11. Credit: NASA On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first person to set foot on the Moon. He was soon followed by Buzz Aldrin. In a nail-biting landing, Armstrong had to manually fly the Lunar Module past the intended landing spot, which he could see was filled with boulders.

He landed safely in Tranquility Base with Aldrin keeping an eye on the altitude and velocity, along with a dangerously low fuel tank. In total, Neil and Buzz were on the lunar surface (both inside their Eagle lunar module and walking on the Moon) for only 21 hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds and were outside walking in the Sea of Tranquility for just 2 hours, 31 minutes and 40 seconds. During their EVA, they collected rocks, planted the US flag, and deployed a seismograph and an experiment called the Lunar Ranging Retroreflector – a reflective device that measures the distance between the Earth and the Moon using lasers from Earth — which is still in use today. A bootprint in the lunar regolith, taken during Apollo 11 in 1969. Credit: NASA. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were the Moon walkers on the Apollo 12 mission. The Apollo 12 crew experienced two lightning strikes just after their Saturn V rocket launched on November 14, 1969.

The jolts knocked out the guidance system and power for a time, but thanks to quick thinking by Mission Control and Alan Bean, the systems were recovered. The Apollo 12 crew proved they could make a pin-point landing, touching down just 185 meters (600 feet) from the Surveyor 3 unmanned spacecraft. During one of their EVAs, Conrad and Bean walked to the Surveyor 3 spacecraft and removed pieces of it bring back to Earth for analysis. Conrad and Bean were on the Moon for two days, November 19 and 20, 1969. The next mission to launch to the Moon was Apollo 13, but because an oxygen tank on the spacecraft’s Service Module exploded two days after launch, the crew was not able to land on the Moon – and a harrowing and spectacular recovery ensued. You can find out more about the Apollo 13 mission here. The next two people to set foot on the Moon were Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell who were part of the Apollo 14 mission.

They launched on January 31, 1971, and landed on February 5 in the Fra Mauro region of the Moon, the original destination for Apollo 13. Shepard and Mitchell performed two EVAs, deploying seismic experiments to study potential Moon quakes, and used the Modular Equipment Transporter (MET), a pull cart for carrying equipment and samples. During the second moonwalk, they tried to reach the edge of a crater named Cone Crater, but with no obvious landmarks amid the rolling, repetitive terrain, they weren’t able to find it. Later analysis combining images the astronauts took with orbital images, it was determined the duo had come within just 20 meters (65 feet) of the crater’s rim. While on the Moon, Shepard fashioned a golf club and hit a couple of golf balls. Mitchell joined in by throwing a lunar scoop handle javelin-style. David Scott and James Irwin landed on the Moon on July 31, 1971 for the Apollo 15 mission, staying for three days, until August 2nd. Unlike the previous missions which landed on the flat lunar plains, the Apollo 15 landed between two mountains in an area called Hadley Rille.

The two astronauts spent 18½ hours outside the spacecraft on lunar extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and this time the Apollo crew brought along the first lunar rover, which allowed them to travel much farther from the Lunar Module than previous missions. During three moonwalks, Scott and Irwin deployed several science experiments and collected 77 kg (170 lb) of lunar rock samples. John Young – caught mid-leap – salutes the American flag on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA. John Young and Charles Duke were the next men to walk on the Moon with the Apollo 16 mission. When the crew reached lunar orbit, the mission almost had to be aborted because of a problem with Command/Service Module’s main engine. They landed though, and it was the first mission to land in the lunar highlands. They were on the lunar surface for three days, from April 21 to 23, 1972. John Young and Charles Duke spent 71 hours — just under three days — on the lunar surface, during which they conducted three moonwalks, totaling 20 hours and 14 minutes.

The pair drove the lunar rover a total of 26.7 kilometres (16.6 miles). Eugene Cernan on the lunar surface, December 13, 1972. Credit: NASA. The final people to walk on the Moon were Eugene (Gene) Cernan and Harrison (Jack) Schmitt. They launched of the first night-time liftoff of the Saturn V rocket, and the astronauts of Apollo 17 landed on the Moon on December 11, 1972. Their three-day stay on the Moon lunar surface included three moonwalks,where they collected lunar samples and deployed scientific instruments. The Apollo 17 crew returned to Earth on December 19 after a 12-day mission. Before he left the Moon, Cernan scratched the initials of his daughter Tracy into the lunar regolith. Since the Moon does not experience weather conditions like wind or rain to erode anything away, her initials should stay there for a very long time. And since 1972, no person has been either on the Moon or in lunar orbit. Source: Universe Today , story by Nancy Atkinson Related Topics:

Question: How many men have walked on the Moon?
Answer: 12